In the history of the Xiongnu, the study of their dietary Xi and population size has always been a complex and fascinating subject. The "Historical Records: The Biography of the Xiongnu" and "The Book of Han: The Biography of the Xiongnu" record that the Xiongnu "salted meat from the king down", which seems to indicate that the common people of the Xiongnu mainly ate meat but not grain. However, Mr. Gu Bao, an ethnologist, questioned this, arguing that the Huns not only ate grain, but also that grain was essential in their lives.
First of all, scholars have always had different views on the population size of the Xiongnu. Mr. Ma Changshou initially estimated the population of the Xiongnu at 700,000, which was later changed to 500,000. Lin Gan thinks these numbers are too much, and puts the population at 300,000. But these figures are not supported by conclusive evidence. In recent years, through archaeology and research on the Han-Hungarian Wars, scholars generally believe that the population of the Xiongnu should have been about 1 million during the Maudun period, and about 1.5 million in the heyday.
If calculated according to the Xi of the nomadic people who eat mainly meat and the relatively medium population of 500,000 of the Xiongnu, each person needs half a kilogram of grain per day, then the amount of food required for a year is a huge number, which is obviously difficult to solve by the nomadic lifestyle alone.
Mr. Gu Bao proposed that there are three main aspects of the Huns' grain: first, the Huns planted themselvesThe second is the Han Dynasty's ** gift;The third is to obtain from the agricultural areas of the interior, including exchange and plunder. However, it was unlikely that the Xiongnu would be self-sufficient, as no nomadic people had been found to be able to combine farming and production to meet their own needs. Therefore, exchanging, plundering and relying on the "** grain" of the Han Dynasty became a necessary means for the Xiongnu to obtain grain.
Mr. Gu Bao also calculated the amount of meat required by the Huns if they only ate meat. He pointed out that pastoralists rely on milk and dairy products for their food, and that a cow can produce milk for several years, while killing an animal provides only a limited number of feeds. He stressed that under the Xiongnu slavery system, the number of livestock owned by ordinary herdsmen was limited, and the amount of meat that a family needed to consume in a year was staggering under the calculation that each person needed one catty and two taels of meat per day, which was difficult to achieve in reality.
Mr. Gu Bao also pointed out that some of the records in the "Historical Records" and the "Book of Han" contradicted his views. For example, the Records of the Historians recorded that the Xiongnu had been unable to ripen crops due to continuous rainfall that led to the death of livestock and the spread of plague. The Book of Han records that the Xiongnu once sent troops to the right land of Tuntian, which shows that the Xiongnu actually had farming behavior.
To sum up, Mr. Gu Bao believes that the "best grain" given by the Han Dynasty to the Xiongnu is an important resource. Although historical information is limited, judging from the amount of grain donated by the Han Dynasty to the Xiongnu, this is a quantity that should not be underestimated. For example, the gifts to the Xiongnu during the Gaozu period of the Han Dynasty, the tillers and gold silks of the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the large quantities of wine, grain and cloth mentioned by the Xiongnu Shan Yu in his letter to the Han Dynasty all reflect the degree of dependence of the Xiongnu on grain. During the period of Hu Han Yedan, the Han Dynasty even provided tens of thousands of rice cakes to him, as well as the grain aid provided to the Xiongnu in the early years of the Yuan Emperor, which proved the Xiongnu's demand and dependence on food.
In the study of the history of the Han and the Huns, the question of the grain of the Xiongnu, especially the grain exchange between them and the Han Dynasty, has always been a topic worthy of in-depth study. The "History of the Xiongnu" and the "Hanshu Xiongnu" recorded the Xi of the Xiongnu "salty eating of animal meat from the king down", but ethnologist Mr. Gu Yuan questioned this, arguing that the Xiongnu not only ate grain, but also played an important role in their lives.
First of all, regarding the Han Dynasty's grain support to the Xiongnu, the data in the historical records is quite large. For example, during the period of Huhan Yedan, the Han Dynasty provided a total of about 54,000 hui of grain to the Xiongnu, equivalent to about 6.48 million catties, about 3,240 tons. And how much grain was provided during the period of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and the amount of ** per year during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, are quite huge figures. These ** grains were mainly transported from the border areas of the Han Dynasty, and may mainly include millet seeds.
Mr. Gu Bao further analyzed the grain ** of the Xiongnu. He believed that the Xiongnu were unlikely to achieve self-sufficiency through their own farming, as nomads were rarely skilled in farming at the same time. Therefore, the supply of **, robbery or Han Dynasty ** became the main way for the Xiongnu to obtain food. He also mentions that the Xiongnu might have made wine and used millet as a raw material. Millet, as it was called millet in ancient times, is adaptable, drought-tolerant and barren, and suitable for planting on newly reclaimed land, with considerable yields. This was confirmed by the expedition to the Hetao area.
The grain provided by the Han Dynasty to the Xiongnu may be millet that is more convenient to mobilize in the border areas, and the grain produced by the Xiongnu may also be millet suitable for the growing conditions of the border areas.
From the perspective of the Han-Hungarian war, although the Han Dynasty had a large population during the period from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, it also faced pressure on the allocation of resources. Although the population of the Xiongnu was less than that of a county in the Han Dynasty, its huge demand for food, especially the dependence on the Han Dynasty, undoubtedly posed a major burden to the Han Dynasty in the long run. The food and other supplies provided by the Han dynasty to the Xiongnu were in effect equivalent to nurturing an external force that could pose a threat to the security of the Han dynasty's borders and also have a political influence. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took military action against the Xiongnu, which was also out of consideration for maintaining stability and stability.
To sum up, the grain issue of the Xiongnu and the relations between the Han and the Hungarians is a complex historical issue. It is not only about the way of living and economic exchange of ancient peoples, but also about the political and military interaction between the two major powers. Through an in-depth analysis of the Xi habits of the Xiongnu and their relationship with the Han Dynasty, we can understand the historical pattern of ancient East Asia more comprehensively.
In the historical context of the Han-Hungarian War, the strategic and tactical layout of the Han Dynasty showed foresight and delicate observation. Especially during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the war strategy against the Xiongnu not only reflected military decisiveness and toughness, but also had an in-depth understanding of the Xiongnu's way of life and production cycle, so as to formulate efficient offensive timing and methods.
First of all, one of the strategies of the Han Dynasty was to cut off the supply of goods to the Xiongnu. Once the war began, the Han Dynasty stopped sending supplies, especially grain, to the Xiongnu. This practice directly affected the living foundation of the Xiongnu, making them fall into the dilemma of lack of materials. And the Han Dynasty's counterattack was not an understatement, but very powerful and precise.
Another strategy adopted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was to choose to launch an offensive in spring and autumn. It is recorded in the Book of Han: "At the age of three, Emperor Wu collapsed. In the former, the Han soldiers pursued the poor for more than 20 years, and the Huns were pregnant and lazy, and they were extremely bitter. Self-reliance on the following often has desires and schemes. This shows that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han army continued to pursue the Xiongnu for more than 20 years, resulting in miscarriages of Xiongnu women and livestock, and their lives were in trouble. This forced the Xiongnu to consider making peace with the Han Dynasty in order to seek peace.
However, although the authenticity of the Xiongnu's hope for peace is conclusive, whether peace and relatives can end the war is another question. When the Xiongnu encountered natural disasters or economic difficulties, they could still invade the Central Plains and plunder resources. The Han Dynasty was well aware of this, so it carried out a long-term blow to the Xiongnu, directly hitting their vulnerable links.
It is worth noting that the reason why Xiongnu women were so affected was because of the Xiongnu lifestyle and fertility Xi. Due to the characteristics of nomads, they do not have precise control over the timing of childbearing, especially after the winter months, when living conditions are relatively better, and women are more likely to get pregnant. Therefore, spring and autumn became an important period for the reproduction of the Xiongnu population. It was precisely this that the Han Dynasty took advantage of and chose to attack during the critical period of the Xiongnu population, thus increasing the pressure and destructive power of the war.
In general, in the war against the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty not only relied on military strength, but also found the key point that determined the victory or defeat of the war through a deep understanding of the opponent's living Xi and production methods. This in-depth insight into the laws of life and national characteristics enabled the Han Dynasty to achieve a decisive advantage in the war, not only in military victory, but also in terms of comprehensive restraint on the Xiongnu at the level of life. 100 help plan